Mental Health & Diet

Why are fluids important?

The average person needs to drink 8-10 glasses (1.5 litres or 2 pints) of fluid each day to keep bowels and the rest of the body in good health.

You may need more to drink if exercising or during hot weather.

Healthy eating is just as important for good mental health asit is for our physical health, after all ‘you are what you eat’. By paying attention to what we eat and changing to more healthy ways, both the body and mind are given
the right fuel for good health.

Eating for health & Enjoyment What are the keys to success?

Choosing healthy foods and being more active will help you to:

Cope better with stress and improve mood

Be protected from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and brittle bones.

Look and feel better

have more energy.

Increase your fitness

Control your weight.

What are the keys to success?

Fluids can help you to control your weight by filling you up. Try having a drink with a meal of having a low calorie soup as a starter.

Alcohol is high in calories and unhelpful if you are trying to manage your weight, it can also make you feel hungry.

If you drink alcohol, add a low calorie mixer to drinker and make sure you have plenty to eat before you drink alcohol.

The limits or men are 4 units a day and 3 units a day for women, but it is beneficial for you health to have some alcohol free days.

A unit + 1 glass wine, pint beer/larger, 1 shot of spirit.

What are the keys to success?

Eat a variety of foods

Eat regularly

Keep salt to a minimum in cooking and at the table.

Choose plenty of high fibre starchy foods- about 1/3 of your food

Have at least 5 daily portions of vegetables and fruit.

Choose moderate amounts of lean meats and alternatives

Keep fatty foods to a minimum and choose lower fat alternatives

Avoid sugary food and drinks

drink 8-10 glasses of water a day

handle and store food hygienically

Eat the right amount to be a healthy weight

Pay attention to dental hygiene

Be active

What are healthy choices?

Water

Low Calorie flavoured waters

Sugar free drinks

Tea

Coffee

Fruit juice (1-2 glasses a day)

Low fat Milk (up to a pint a day)

Reduced fat and sugar drinks such as Horlicks, Options and Highlights.

What Is Obesity

Obesity is a condition where a person has gained over a period of time a lot of excessive weight. This condition can reduce a person quality of life and in extreme cases a person can be bed ridden unable to walk or look after them selves. A person’s health can also suffer.

What are the Risks

Being Obese and overweight can increase the risk of developing

Diabetes

Cancer

Coronary Heart Disease

Hypertension

Liver Disease

How Does Obesity Develop

Genetics- It is thought genes play a part but how much or how little we don’t know the exact genes have not been isolated yet.

Eating Habits- When we feel stressed we tend to eat more we also eat more when we are bored or tired this is called comfort eating which we all do to a certain extent.

Emotional Health – There are many personal reasons why people over eat it could be depression, low self esteem, end of relation ship, grief, unemployment, their are many reasons and in society today we are often judged by how we look. When in reality we are all valid individuals.

Activity’s- It is important to have some exercise or even going for a brisk walk and to eat a healthy diet.

Treatment for Obesity

The main treatment for obesity is dieting and physical exercise to supplement this incase of failure anti obesity drugs to reduce appetite or inhibit fat absorption. In severe cases, surgery is performed or an intra gastric balloon is placed to reduce stomach volume and/or bowel length, leading to earlier satiation and reduced ability to absorb nutrients from food.

OBESITY STATISTICS

Nine out of 10 British adults and two-thirds of children will be overweight or obese by the middle of this century

Worldwide, 40% of men and 30% of women are now overweight. 24% of men and 27% of women are obese.

We now have a PDF document from the british heart foundation to view this click here